Journey to the centre of your pain

HELP is on hand for people suffering stress-related illnesses, thanks to a multimedia "biofeedback" system. The computer system has alleviated the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in some patients by encouraging them to relax while concentrating on the part of their body that is causing them pain.

The computer system, called the Inner Tuner Professional, was launched this month at the European Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health in London. Forty scientists from Israel and Britain were involved in developing the system for Ultramind, a British company specialising in biofeedback equipment.

The system includes a library of programs designed for different disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome and sleeping problems. The programs can be adapted for individual patients by adding suitable background music, text and photographs, animation or video.

The patient's responses to the program are picked up by tiny ring-pad electrodes attached to two fingers. The electrodes detect slight ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.

To continue reading this article, log in or subscribe to New Scientist

App + web

Web

Smartphone

Tablet

$25.99 - Save 65%

12 issues for $2.17 per issue

with continuous service

Print + web

Print

Web

$28.99 - Save 61%

12 issues for $2.42 per issue

with continuous service

Print + app + web

Print

Web

Smartphone

Tablet

$39.99 - Save 73%

12 issues for $3.33 per issue

with continuous service

Web

Web only

$49.99

30 day web pass

Prices may vary according to delivery country and associated local taxes.